Basics of Palaeontology
Full course description
This skill course offers the basics of palaeontology, providing you with the tools and knowledge to start unraveling our past. You will gain the skills to analyse and interpret fossils and ancient ecosystems in order to grasp evolutionary and climatic changes over time. Being equipped with the techniques to uncover Earth’s past, you will become knowledgeable regarding the evolution of various forms of life and the transformation of habitats over billions of years. Palaeontology is more than just collecting fossils, this course shows how palaeontologists use a wide array of different techniques in order to analyse fossil evidence and reconstruct past environments and significant events in Earth’s History.
Course objectives
During this skill course, you will learn to identify major invertebrate and vertebrate fossil groups, distinguish between types of fossils and learn the basics of body plans. With these foundations, you will explore the potential of fossils in palaeoecology, stratigraphy and evolutionary studies in order to understand past dynamics of life.
Prerequisites
- None
Co requisite:
- None
Recommended reading
Recommended, also for the other palaeontology courses offered at MSP: Benton, M. & Harper, D. 2020. Introduction to Paleobiology and the Fossil Record, 2nd Edition. Wiley-Blackwell. 656 pp.